Alice gasped as the witch fired her rifle, her heart skipping a beat as the sound of gunfire sliced through the silence. Before she could even process what had happened, Shí'àn moved like lightning, with an agile grace that was almost beautiful in its fluidity.

  A split second later, the rifle was gone from the witch's grip and Shí'àn was standing several feet away, the weapon clutched safely in a slender, gloved hand.

  "Nice try."

  She said coolly before tossing the rifle away with ease as Alice gaped at her in shock and disbelief. How the hell did she do that?!

  Alice stared at the witch, her eyes widening in disbelief, this was real.

  A gun. A rifle. An actual, dangerous weapon being held by someone who looked like they knew exactly how to use it.

  And worst of all? The silver-haired girl wasn’t even trying to hide her intent anymore, the way she casually raised the barrel toward them left no room for doubt about what came next if they didn't do something fast enough…

  But then…

  CRACK!

  Before anyone could react further though...a bright flash brightened the empty streets around them before anything else had a chance happen. Suddenly there was now a figure standing behind Alice & Shí’àn where none existed mere seconds prior: a girl with a midnight complexion with red undertones, beady crimson eyes with horizontal blue pupils and light red sclera, and bright red dreadlocks with black highlights reaching down to her elbows. She had a black and red shrimp tail, long antennae, and twin katanas at her hip. She wore a black ninja mask, a short black kimono, and fishnet stockings.

  Alice yelped, her gaze snapping around toward the newcomer, eyes widening even further than she thought possible as she took in the new figure now standing behind them.

  There was no way this was actually happening…right? But the proof was right there, and Alice swallowed hard as she stared up at the shrimp-like girl in disbelief.

  Shí'àn seemed unfazed, eyeing the new arrival with cool indifference as if she had known she was coming all along.

  "A little late to the party, aren't you?" she commented dryly.

  The newcomer shrugged nonchalantly, a sly smile pulling at the corners of her lips behind the mask.

  "Eh, fashionably so," she replied blithely.

  Alice's head whipped between the two of them, completely bewildered. How could she be so calm at a time like this?? "Wh-who even are you, though...?”

  The newcomer's smirk widened into a grin, her gaze flickering over Alice before answering back almost smugly:

  "Me? Name's Chie, sweetheart."

  Despite the situation, Chie's casualness was almost refreshing, like a cool balm to her frayed nerves.

  "Chi-e..." Alice repeated the strange new girl's name softly, letting it roll off her tongue as if trying to commit it to memory before asking cautiously:

  "And...how do you know us...?”

  Chie's grin only widened at the question, her crimson eyes gleaming with something sharp and knowing as they flicked briefly over to Shí'àn.

  "Oh, I know lots of things."

  There it was again: Chie's tone was almost...teasing, like she knew something no one else in this group of people did. And the way Shí'àn bristled under the smirk...made Alice's heart thudding in her chest grow even faster still.

  "Like what?"

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  Alice couldn't help the question that slipped out almost on reflex, her curiosity piqued even as fear and confusion swirled together in a dizzying concoction inside of her. Chie's knowing smile sent a shiver down Alice's spine.

  "Anything and everything, sweetheart."

  The answer was vague--practically cryptic--but said with such confidence that left little doubt there was more to Chie than meets the eye.

  The silver-haired witch watched the exchange before her, her eyes flicking toward Chie with an unreadable expression.

  Then, she let out a low chuckle and lowered her rifle slightly, not dropping it entirely but shifting its aim away from them both momentarily.

  "Hmph."

  She studied Chie for another beat before muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like: "...Figures."

  Then, in one fluid motion? She turned on heel without warning whatsoever while shouting back over shoulder as she became shrouded in thick violet aura:

  "I'll getcha next time!"

  And then poof! The witch was gone, as if she had never been there at all…leaving behind only lingering tension & three girls standing amidst quiet streets now wondering what exactly just happened here today…

  Alice exhaled sharply, her shoulders slumping as the tension drained out of her all at once. She turned to Chie, still shaken but now more confused than anything else.

  "Who, what, was that?!" Alice demanded, voice cracking slightly with leftover adrenaline.

  Chie just smirked behind her mask and adjusted one of her twin katanas idly before answering:

  "A witch who thinks she's scary."

  Shí'àn let out a long-suffering sigh next to them both, clearly done with this entire situation already despite barely having said anything throughout it all so far either way…

  "Wait, hold on," Alice tried, her cheeks coloring a bit from embarrassment. "You, you were waiting for that to happen, weren't you?" she accused Chie, confusion clear in her voice.

  Chie just chuckled at the question, a mischievous gleam in her crimson eyes as she shrugged nonchalantly.

  "What gave it away?" she responded, tone dripping with feigned innocence.

  Alice opened and closed her mouth wordlessly for a moment before letting out an exasperated huff.

  "You…"

  She trailed off, shaking her head helplessly before managing to find words once more. "That was insane!"

  It was more of an accusation than anything else, and from the hint of a smile tugging at Chie's lips behind that damn mask…it was obvious she was enjoying this entire exchange far too much.

  "Straight to the point, I see?"

  Chie chuckled softly, amused by both the question and the subtle bite of irritation in Shí'àn's tone. "No need to beat around the bush."

  She tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment before answering, her tone almost lazy.

  "Me? Simple, sweetie. I'm a ninja."

  Alice's eyebrows raised at the answer, skepticism written all over her face. "A ninja?"

  She couldn't help but feel a little wary, considering how un-ninja-like Chie seemed to be, what with the loud personality and all. "But…aren't ninjas supposed to be stealthy?" she protested, gesturing to Chie. "You don't really strike me as someone who's good at stealth.”

  Chie mock-gasped at the question, feigning hurt while placing a hand dramatically over her heart.

  "Oh, you wound me, sweetheart. Just because I happen to prefer a...flashier approach to things than most ninjas do, doesn't mean I can't blend in like a shadow when necessary."

  She paused, tilting her head with a smirk. "Plus, who says ninja's can't be sassy and sarcastic?”

  Alice opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again with a frustrated sigh.

  "...Fair point," she admitted begrudgingly, arms crossing over her chest in mild annoyance. "Still doesn't explain how you knew that witch was coming."

  Chie grinned behind the mask, clearly enjoying this little back-and-forth far too much for Alice’s liking.

  "A ninja never reveals their secrets~"

  "...Fair...but still, what I really meant was: what are you? Like, I've seen cat-girls and stuff, but you have...shrimp features...!”

  Chie let out another soft chuckle at the question. "Ah, the shrimp thing. Yeah, I get asked that a lot, actually."

  She seemed completely unbothered by the topic, her voice as light and nonchalant as ever as she continued:

  "Indeed, I'm a half-shrimpy. Half-shrimp, half-human. Pretty straightforward, huh?"

  Alice blinked, stunned slightly by both the term 'shrimpy' and the way Chie seemed so calm about being part shrimp, while Shí'àn just groaned and muttered something in Heiguonese under her breath once more.

  Chie just laughed, full and unrestrained, at Alice’s bewildered expression.

  "Oh, sweetheart," she said with a playful wave of her hand, "you'd be surprised what kind of things exist out there in the world."

  Alice let out another sigh but finally seemed to accept that Chie was telling the truth (as bizarre as it all still felt). She glanced at Shí'àn for confirmation.

  Shí'àn simply gave one slow nod before adding dryly: "She's not lying."

  "Figures," Alice muttered, her gaze lingering on Chie for a moment longer before she sighed and looked away.

  She had so many more questions, but judging by the way the shrimp-girl grinned at her...she wasn't going to get answers to any of them.

  "Ugh...how about we just...get out of here? I don’t know about you two, but I don't want to stick around and wait for that witch to come back…”

  Chie’s smirk widened behind the mask, clearly delighted by Alice’s reaction.

  "Oh, I love being mysterious~" she purred before playfully twirling one of her dreadlocks around a finger. "Makes people way more fun to mess with."

  Shí'àn rolled her eyes so hard it was practically audible.

  Alice groaned and dragged both hands down her face in exasperation.

  This was going to be a long damn day…